Chipotle expands food festival sites to Miami

Chipotle Mexican Grill has announced the preliminary lineup for its 2016 Cultivate food, music and ideas festivals, with events returning to Phoenix and Kansas City for a second year, and one debuting in Miami.

This year marks the sixth year of the Cultivate Festival, which encourages attendees to think and talk about food and food issues in a fun and engaging environment. Cultivate Phoenix will be held Saturday, April 30, at WestWorld of Scottsdale; Cultivate Kansas City Saturday, July 23, in Penn Valley Park; and Cultivate Miami Saturday, Nov. 12, in Bayfront Park. All festivals start at 11 a.m. and end at 7 p.m. Admission is free.

“We are changing the way people think about and eat fast food, and that includes helping people understand how food is raised and prepared,” said Mark Crumpacker, chief creative and development officer at Chipotle. “The Cultivate events allow us to bring people together for a celebration of food and music, but also to educate them about how food can be raised responsibly and prepared safely.”

In addition to live music and on-site chef demonstrations, each Cultivate event will include five interactive experiences focused on sustainable food – including activities that allow attendees to explore the importance of animal welfare; issues surrounding genetically modified foods, or GMOs; the secret to making Chipotle’s famous guacamole; and the reality of processed foods. The events also feature a Kids’ Zone that will feature activities and snacks.

All three festivals will have an Artisans’ Hall featuring local artisanal desserts for purchase and a Tasting Hall serving local specialty beers, wines and ciders. Each festival also will feature Cultivate Mexican Lager, a Mexican-style lager brewed exclusively for Cultivate through a collaboration among nationally acclaimed breweries Arizona Wilderness (Cultivate Phoenix), Boulevard Brewing (Cultivate Kansas City) and Cigar City Brewing (Cultivate Miami).

Chipotle has also partnered with IZZE to give customers a chance to win a trip for two to the 2016 Cultivate Festival of the winner’s choice in Phoenix, Kansas City or Miami. For more information on how to enter, and official rules, visit chipotlecultivate.com.

Miami: The music lineup for Cultivate Miami will be announced later in the year. The chef stage will feature Richard Blais (chef, restaurateur, television host); Freitag; Michelle Bernstein (Crumb on Parchment, CENA by Michy, Seagrape); and Michael Schwartz (chef/restaurateur, The Genuine Hospitality Group).

Chipotle’s inaugural Cultivate Festival was hosted in Chicago in 2011. Following its success, the festival expanded to Denver (2012 and 2013), San Francisco (2013 and 2014), Dallas (2014) and Minneapolis (2014 and 2015). The 2015 festival series marked its debut in Phoenix and Kansas City.